IF THE WISCONSIN TEACHERS' UNION WAS GRADED ON CHARACTER THEY WOULD GET AN F

"On Tuesday, Feb. 15, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan convened hundreds of teachers'-union leaders and school-district leaders in Denver to discuss ways management and labor could work together better. Kumbaya!

Two days later, all hell broke loose in Madison, Wis. The flash point was Republican Governor Scott Walker's plan to address the state's budget gap by making public employees contribute more to health care coverage, coupled with a proposal to eliminate collective bargaining for most public employees — including teachers. Democratic state legislators went into hiding to thwart a vote on the measure, and schools closed as thousands of teachers left their classrooms to descend on the state capital. "
--Andrew J. Rotherham Friday, Feb. 18, 2011; TIME Magazine

When folks reflect back in time to their earliest mentors; TEACHERS fill that role for most of us.

Today, more than ever, public school teachers are EXPECTED to fill the void left by broken and often inattentive families.  Public schools are not only a place for academic development; they also serve to provide students with the foundation for basic lessons in life values.

Young students are behavioral sponges......soaking up the lessons taught by their home environment, by their peers and by their classroom teachers.

When the protesting teachers parade signs of angry hatred depicting their opponent, Governor Walker, as the personification of evil with Hitleresque images and vitriolic slurs; this behavior will validate a gang banger mentality that is already too pervasive in American school yards..........the negative impact of that lesson on their students will be far greater than a few days of missed classes.
So as these teachers march in selfish protest under the cover of overtly fraudulent doctor's notes to excuse the "truant" behavior; they have effectively shirked not only their responsibility to TEACH their students academic basics but also to appropriately lead by example......an even more basic lesson lost---CHARACTER.

It is noble to fight for what you believe in.............provided your conduct is honorable.